Extended Study to New York City
POSC 383: National Security On-campus class followed by a three-week trip to New York City Director: Professor
Fred Chernoff,
International Relations Program On-campus course: Spring 2012
Tentative travel dates: May 10 - May 31, 2012
Course credit: On-campus component is 1 credit; NYC component is .5 credits
The purpose of the extended study in New York City is to enhance students' understanding and knowledge of 1) national security issues; 2) strategic concepts that underpin notions of 'security'; 3) role and perspective of various institutions, international organizations, and interest groups; and 4) the national policy-making process.
The extended study course is tied to the on-campus course 'National Security' (POSC 353). The on-campus course has three components. The first half of the course is a history of strategic theory from Sun-Tzu and Machiavelli, through the Napoleonic period (studying Clausewitz), to the end of the 19 c. (Mahan and Mackinder), and concluding with the employment of strategic concepts in WW II. The second brief section deals with the superpowers during the Cold War. The third segment, roughly five weeks, considers contemporary issues of conflict and strategy.
The last part of the course focuses on three issues: Arab-Israeli conflict, India-Pakistan, the war in Iraq and the UN's role in peacekeeping. These issues will occupy the last five weeks of the term.
The extended study allows students to meet with representatives of many countries and hear those countries' perspectives on important issues and gives students a chance to pose questions to government officials. Instead of hearing their instructor answer questions about the perspectives of India or Serbia, they have the chance to interact personally with representatives of those governments.